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Old 05-08-2016, 03:28 PM   #61
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Originally Posted by Playdog View Post
We have a 21 hatching in November. Does anyone think there are options I should ask about that would make the fridge perform better? Maybe have the cabinet insulated during the build or adding a fan somewhere?
That is what I would do....
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Old 05-12-2016, 08:27 AM   #62
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Thanks Jim, I did ask and Krista said they put as much insulation in the cabinet as it will hold and that there is an exterior fan. The only additional thing we can do is add a battery operated fan on the inside of the fridge.
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Old 05-12-2016, 11:51 AM   #63
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Update On Replacement RMD8555

Since I originally started this post last fall and subsequently received a replacement RMD8555, I thought I should give an update...

We have made three trips since receiving the replacement RMD8555 and have been very happy with it thus far. It doesn't leak air like our previous unit! Also, it appears to cool down and recover much quicker than our last unit.

While we haven't camped with temperatures out of the 80s yet, the fridge has mostly been in the 33 to 36 degree range (unless we put a bunch of hot stuff in it). It has even gotten colder than 32 degrees on several occasions. We have even stored ice cream in the freezer.

Also, we are now able to run the unit on propane when traveling without experiencing blowouts. It was 33 degrees in the fridge and 9 degrees in the freezer when we pulled into the driveway this past Sunday afternoon after being on the road for over four hours.

We will see if this performance continues as the summer heat and humidity is just around the corner.

Mark
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Old 05-12-2016, 06:27 PM   #64
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Originally Posted by Drumstick63 View Post
Since I originally started this post last fall and subsequently received a replacement RMD8555, I thought I should give an update...

We have made three trips since receiving the replacement RMD8555 and have been very happy with it thus far. It doesn't leak air like our previous unit! Also, it appears to cool down and recover much quicker than our last unit.

While we haven't camped with temperatures out of the 80s yet, the fridge has mostly been in the 33 to 36 degree range (unless we put a bunch of hot stuff in it). It has even gotten colder than 32 degrees on several occasions. We have even stored ice cream in the freezer.

Also, we are now able to run the unit on propane when traveling without experiencing blowouts. It was 33 degrees in the fridge and 9 degrees in the freezer when we pulled into the driveway this past Sunday afternoon after being on the road for over four hours.

We will see if this performance continues as the summer heat and humidity is just around the corner.

Mark
What did you have to do to get a replacement fridge?
We just picked up our trailer after two weeks with the Dometic repair man. He said Dometic is very reluctant to ship out replacement parts. His contact at Dometic told him to disconnect the thermistor . So now we have a refrigerator with the thermistor disconnected. The refrigerator seems too cool better but this does not seem like a permanent fix. I emailed Dometic and asked if it was OK to have the thermistor disconnected. The reply from Dometic was he should not have disconnected it.
Did your replacement refrigerator have the same climate rating of SN?
I am waiting for a reply from Dometic on what our next step should be.
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Old 05-12-2016, 07:57 PM   #65
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His contact at Dometic told him to disconnect the thermistor . So now we have a refrigerator with the thermistor disconnected. .
The thermistor is the same as the thermostat on the wall in your house. It tells the cooling unit to turn on and off. The distance from the cooling elements sets the 'coupling' just like your house thermostat.

I could imagine a person telling a tech to disconnect the thermistor temporarily to see how cold the unit can get to. But never to leave it that way.

Sorry to say but you need to find a different shop.
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Old 05-12-2016, 07:58 PM   #66
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Hi Mary- at Tollroad county park south of Hood River. Outside temps driving from Bend were 87. Fridge now at 47 On electric now so will see if that makes any difference. Never before had this bad of performance in last 18 months.
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Old 05-12-2016, 09:01 PM   #67
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I question the wisdom and safety of disconnecting the thermistor, but the refrigerator does seem to be working. I could not deal with 40+ degree temperatures.
I am dealing with Dometic right now through email so I have everything in writing!
Since my refrigerator is new and under warranty it should be their problem not mine!
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Old 05-12-2016, 09:03 PM   #68
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Hi Mary- at Tollroad county park south of Hood River. Outside temps driving from Bend were 87. Fridge now at 47 On electric now so will see if that makes any difference. Never before had this bad of performance in last 18 months.
Rousse another thing to do is take the thermistor out of it's holder and I have mine just hanging there . Did you change to the newer 2 door ? If you haven't you could remove freezer that will also help . Hope you have a fan inside too . Pat
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Old 05-12-2016, 09:10 PM   #69
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Originally Posted by Klem View Post
The thermistor is the same as the thermostat on the wall in your house. It tells the cooling unit to turn on and off. The distance from the cooling elements sets the 'coupling' just like your house thermostat.

I could imagine a person telling a tech to disconnect the thermistor temporarily to see how cold the unit can get to. But never to leave it that way.

Sorry to say but you need to find a different shop.
Hi Klem can you please tell me the thermistor out of it's plastic holder is Ok ? Mine is short so it is in the general area anyway . Or are we talking literally to disconnect thermistor ? Not Ok ? Pat
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Old 05-12-2016, 09:42 PM   #70
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I noticed the picture only showed the disconnected wire going to the thermistor. Here is a picture with the thermistor attached to the fins. If we were not under warranty maybe we would try something like this http://dinosaurelectronics.com/Dom_adj.htm
If we stay with Dometic as our refrigerator it will always be under warranty.
Our fridge is on the #3 setting @ 35°
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Old 05-12-2016, 11:00 PM   #71
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Take_a_hike,

Our local Dometic Warranty Center worked with Dometic troubleshooting the fridge after verifying the tests that we had conducted. I have to give them credit for getting the replacement.

Our unit proved that it could cool but it was loosing so much cold air out of the fridge that it just couldn't keep up. Temperatures would rise dramatically when traveling or when running the MaxxFan on exhaust. You could feel the cold air escaping when the MaxxFan was on exhaust. Hot air was being pumped inside the fridge from the rear. We used a candle to try to identify where the hot air was entering the fridge, pushing out the cold air. It would almost blow the candle out in multiple places behind the fins. Attempts to seal this area with butyl tape proved useless.

In the midst of the DWC working with Dometic, I believe a board also failed (and maybe some other oddities) and shortly thereafter a replacement fridge was on the way.

The replacement fridge is still SN rated but my understanding is that Dometic went to an improved cooling system and better insulation on the newer RMD8555 units. Not sure about that though. I still don't understand why we can't get the Tropical and SubTropical versions of this fridge in North America. We were so frustrated that would have been willing to pay a hefty price to get one of those versions installed.

Keep in mind that we haven't camped in any serious heat since we got the replacement RMD8555 and aren't sure how it will perform yet in those conditions. I guess we will find out in the next few months.

We don't have the experience that many other forum members have with RV fridges as much of our past camping has been in tents. With that said, we could use some education on how to properly pack the fridge! One thing we have done on the last two trips was to add a few frozen water bottles and an ice pack before we start our trip. Not sure if this is necessary or wise, but it works for us, at least thus far.

Mark
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Old 05-12-2016, 11:47 PM   #72
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Originally Posted by Take_a_hike View Post
... His contact at Dometic told him to disconnect the thermistor . So now we have a refrigerator with the thermistor disconnected. The refrigerator seems too cool better but this does not seem like a permanent fix. I emailed Dometic and asked if it was OK to have the thermistor disconnected. The reply from Dometic was he should not have disconnected it.
I think it's surprising that these refrigerators operate at all without a valid signal through the thermistor. It's not an on-off switch like a thermostat - it's a temperature-sensitive resistor. Disconnected, it reads like an infinitely high temperature (causing the refrigerator to run flat-out just like an always-on thermostat would), but a reasonable control board would flag that unreasonable reading as an error.
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Old 05-13-2016, 12:02 AM   #73
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I think it's surprising that these refrigerators operate at all without a valid signal through the thermistor. It's not an on-off switch like a thermostat - it's a temperature-sensitive resistor. Disconnected, it reads like an infinitely high temperature (causing the refrigerator to run flat-out just like an always-on thermostat would), but a reasonable control board would flag that unreasonable reading as an error.
Brian if we are saying disconnected on thermostat , are we saying removed from the plastic holder or really disconnected ? Pat
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Old 05-13-2016, 12:10 AM   #74
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Brian if we are saying disconnected on thermostat , are we saying removed from the plastic holder or really disconnected ? Pat
Really disconnected - meaning going into the back of the refrigerator (from the outside) and disconnecting wires.

Taking the thermistor out of its plastic holder doesn't matter. The holder slides so that the thermistor can be in different locations and thus see slightly different temperatures. This is Dometic's hack way to provide some adjustability to a fundamentally fixed-temperature design, at zero cost. The model in my motorhome has this sliding gadget; the more expensive version of the same series of refrigerators has an adjustment on the control panel.

The "thermistor adjuster" from Dinosaur is an aftermarket approach to adding in the feature that Dometic left out of these non-adjustable models.
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Old 05-13-2016, 01:37 AM   #75
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Really disconnected - meaning going into the back of the refrigerator (from the outside) and disconnecting wires.

Taking the thermistor out of its plastic holder doesn't matter. The holder slides so that the thermistor can be in different locations and thus see slightly different temperatures. This is Dometic's hack way to provide some adjustability to a fundamentally fixed-temperature design, at zero cost. The model in my motorhome has this sliding gadget; the more expensive version of the same series of refrigerators has an adjustment on the control panel.

The "thermistor adjuster" from Dinosaur is an aftermarket approach to adding in the feature that Dometic left out of these non-adjustable models.
Glad To know I am not contributing to ruining my Domectic frig . I have seen the sliding thermistor you are speaking about . I have something similar ,the snip the tip ,as the dinosaur . So far everything I did to frig is working a lot better so I never installed the , snip the tip . But I have it . The one item I have not so far got to try out , the fridge guard to keep cool air from leaving when I open the door at least maybe keep things from falling out when I open my door . Had me scared for a minute . Thankyou . Pat
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Old 05-13-2016, 12:20 PM   #76
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Mine seems to be working fine.
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Old 05-13-2016, 07:18 PM   #77
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Mine seems to be working fine.
So far frig is doing pretty good . I guess I am afraid to cut the wires truth be told . Did you just cut battery power or remove I forget something from back before you cut the wires ? Pat
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Old 05-13-2016, 07:29 PM   #78
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I say frig it.
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Old 05-13-2016, 08:25 PM   #79
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Myron-
I like your fix! If we weren't under warranty we would try it too!
I am beginning to wonder if we will get Dometic to repair it. I feel like the last repair man just wanted to get it off his lot because he was so busy with money jobs and didn't want to deal with a Dometic warranty repair. He acknowledged it was not getting cold enough and ran all the tests. He said did say Dometic was stingy about sending out replacement parts.
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Old 05-13-2016, 09:05 PM   #80
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What gbaggs said.
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